I’m a former Eagle Scout, a former U.S. Air Force officer, and a Vietnam veteran. I’ve attended church regularly for over 60 years. I married my high school sweetheart. Together, the two of us raised three wonderful children who share our same values. Our eldest son is gay, and he married another man. We wouldn’t […]
Nathan Gunter
Posted inArts & Culture
To the bat cave!
After all, nothing destroys the benign boy candy vibe of a Robert Pattinson-level broodfest like knowing he spends part of every night practicing echolocation as a flying mammal. But at a 340-acre tract of land in northwestern Oklahoma, visitors can spend an evening watching thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats leave for the nightly hunt. The […]
Posted inNews
Parks and recreation
Earlier this spring, the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department announced that Adair State Park in Stilwell; Beaver Dunes in Beaver; Boggy Depot in Atoka; Brushy Lake in Sallisaw; Heavener Runestone in Heavener; Lake Eucha in Jay; and Wah- Sha-She in Copan will close on Aug. 15. The good news is that the 10 employees whose […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Whiskey river
Check your pop culture references and you’ll find it: from “Mad Men”’s Don Draper, to Alec Baldwin’s inimitable Jack Donaghy, all the way back through any of John Wayne’s more memorable characters. The brown liquor provides something that vodka simply does not: character. There is the subtle, smoky, oaken flavor. There is the invitation to […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Twist off
With the onset of spring comes the beginning of tornado season, that magical time of year wherein your regularly scheduled programming is preempted and your skies turn a foreboding shade of green. Dust off your beer glasses and spray down the rim of your toilet: It’s time for the Gary England drinking game. Invented by […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Sláinte!
When you’re a kid, the mid- March celebration of all things Irish was mostly tainted with memories of forgetting to wear green in the fourth grade and spending the whole day fending off that one kid who was a little too eager to pinch everyone. Maybe you were that kid. But you grew out of […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Thunder up!
That is to say, the Thunder changed the city. Now, instead of Charles Barkley not knowing where Oklahoma City is, he lampoons it weekly on TNT. Progress! The NBA’s arrival has energized the city, and no sector feels that energy more than the metro’s hospitality industry. Sure, one can snag a couple tickets from the […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Sober sisters
Not to ruin everyone’s fun this holiday season, but AAA Oklahoma reports that 30 percent of all state automobile crashes are caused by alcohol. This number rises as high as 40 percent during the holidays (cue Debbie Downer trumpet — wah waaahh). It’s a season fraught with celebration and — if your family has just […]
Posted inNews
Remain calm
Children coerced into good behavior by threats of a dark, meaningless Christmas in which one of God’s very own saints skips their house because he, like their parents, has had it up to here with their acting out. This season’s hottest toy squirreled away in some out-of-reach and never-seen corner of the house, possibly acquired […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Drinking well
So you’ve made it through the inevitable holiday bloat and promised yourself that this year — this year — is the year that it happens. This is the year that you Get In Shape. This is the year you will sculpt a body that will make your 23-year-old self want to vomit with jealousy. You […]